SheilaG

Hi, Help!! I've downloaded and am using version 7 (currently beta 12) and have found 2 problems that I can't find mentioned elsewhere. 1. I have lost my waveform display on the timeline in the main window and I can't find any button or option to restore it! I really miss it ............... has it gone forever or am I just not seeing something? and 2. I have no experience of video, at all, so this may be trivial or it might not! I've imported a short video clip (just to try it out) into the O&A window ........... no problem. It accepts animation with no problems. However, it refuses to run, and the computer crashes every time, unless the 'mute audio' option is checked. In other words, it works but only if I lose the sound. This isn't particularly important, to me, just wondered if the problem lay with the camera or the conversion when downloading. If I add a background soundtrack, either to the whole project or the individual slide, then it runs with no problem. The video camera I used is a 3 year old Samsung with relatively low resolution and spec. I downloaded the clip, onto the PC, from the camera through it's own software. The clip runs with sound through the PC. Regards, Sheila G

Hi John, Yet another way to add a border to all the slides in your sequence is to create a .png, transparent file of a rectangle with exactly the same pixel dimensions as your PtoE project. Give the rectangle an inner, outline border of 2 or 3 pixels (or as required) and in the colour you need. Save as a .png (the inner, empty area will remain transparent). In PtoE open Project Options and find 'Show Copyright Logo'. Check it and then open 'Customise': Browse to your saved 'png file of the border. Position : Centre Opacity : 100 Size : 100 Offset : 0 Click OK This will give you a thin line around your sequence at all times. Colour/width etc., can be changed globally by over-writing your .png file. I use this method and, so far (touch wood!) it's worked for me! Regards Sheila G

Hi Dave, I'm more than a lot impressed!!!!! I, for one, shall enjoy playing with it and I promise to keep all measurements very accurate! Sheila

Hi, I think I've followed the arguments and understood what's being said! For my own purposes I'm happy to set my own timing and transitions manually, as they are rarely all of the same duration. As for forcing the synchronicity of the end of the last slide and the end of the soundtrack, I wouldn't welcome that. I know there is a workaround but I prefer to have the initial control. New users will do what we've all done .......... start simple and basic and build skills gradually. You can't expect to be an expert in 5 minutes. Regards, Sheila G

Hi Lin, Don't know what to say! I watched this a little reluctantly as I don't usually watch anything that makes me want to cry! My heart was in my mouth all the way through in case the dog was hurt or lost but I couldn't stop watching. Dogs and dolphins! My two favourite creatures! Thanks for the video. Sheila ps ........... the tears did run!!

Hi Paul, Don't beat yourself up! Once you get on a roll you'll try all sorts of variations ........... some work; some don't!! Have fun! Sheila

Hi Paul, I see Dave has posted a project to help you ........... and this may be just how you want the box to open. However, if you want to have the sides of the cube open out around the base, and the top as a hinged lid, you can do it a little differently. I've included a link to a zipped project that will open in PtoE 6.5, after you extract it. If you look at the construction in O&A you'll be able to see that the centre of rotation for each face is in the middle of the edge touching the base, and the top is along the back edge. I've also included the keyframes necessary for each face to open partially. If you play with the angles you'll see how you can change them. You'll notice that the second slide starts with the cube in the identical postion that it was in at the end of the first slide. You will, however see that now, 'show back' has been checked for the faces mentioned above. This cube will not now rotate as before ........... the backs of the faces would be seen as it turns. It is possible to get round this but becomes a bit involved and difficult to describe! One thing you neeed to take into account is that as soon as you start opening the box you are going to need to see the 'back' of each face. This means that you need to consider the order in the objects box. (those at the top will cover those below) You'll find that although I can 'show the back' of the side, back and top faces, I can't 'show the back' of the bottom, as well, as it is near the top of the stack. Experiment with the settings and you'll see what happens. Hope this helps, Sheila Later .............. Just realised I didn't answer your question properly! You can move the rotation point of a face by changing the 'centre' settings and compensating, for the position change of the face, in the pan settings. Look at the settings for the faces and you'll see what I mean. Link to Project HERE

Hi Dusty, I like that: 'Crazy minds think alike!' ......... I shall take it as a compliment! Sheila G

Hi Dave, My real mistake with the Pyramid Challenge that you set was that I assumed (very wrongly !!) that it was for fun and not deadly serious! (My mistake, I admit !) I like a creative challenge but not when the enjoyment is overtaken by having to deal with fractions of pixels and angles with a decimal point value of 4 figures. That's when I go back to playing with the pictures at my own level! Re the Pen tool ............. it's not my favourite tool in Photoshop but you're right in saying that the results achieved with it can be more precise. Thanks for trying to help me (and I did look very carefully at the projects, for which both you and Peter posted links on the other thread, and was impressed by the accuracy) but this kind of perfection is a bit too much for me! Thanks again, Sheila G

Hi Dusty, I agree with Davy's comment about the number of responses. My excuse for a late post is that the sound from my computer 'disappeared' until a friend forced it to co-operate again so I've only just been able to hear it as well as see it! I also agree with the rest of his post ............ I love the photos and the effects that you've captured with the flour and light. The veiled model, as she dances in the light and clouds, creates a narrative that will be different in the mind of every person who views it. I think the stop-motion approach of this AV works really well. Sheila G PS. ........... I absolutely loved your choice of music! I used exactly the same track in my AV, 'Showtime' (the upload linked to this forum about 10 days ago).

Hi Barry, Really beautiful photographs and perfect accompanying music track. Thanks, Sheila G

Hi David, I've just watched your sequence ............ I really love it!! I like the whole package and think it works beautifully. It's a perfect length ....... leaving us disappointed that there isn't more, instead of fidgeting as we wait for the AV to get to the end! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Paul, As I understand it ......... There can be one master control frame for each group of child frames and child objects. Keyframe animations for this master frame apply to everything contained within the group. A frame (which for these purposes has its opacity at zero) will always have one or more 'child' frames or objects under its control. Each of these can have their individual keyframe animations which take place within the animation of the 'master frame'. Each of those 'children' can have 'children' of their own. A 'parent' can also be an object (eg. image file) and any child 'objects' will also be governed by the parent keyframes. Clear as mud? Sorry!! I tried to run before I could walk and got carried away with these 3D animations before I even really knew how to use keyframes! It made life a bit difficult and, if you're in a similar position, I'd say familiarise yourself with simpler animations first. If, like me, you jump in at the deep end, at least you'll have the keyframes sussed when you surface again! Good luck! Sheila G

Hi Peter and Dave, I'm suitably (and very) impressed by your project files! If I'd known this morning what I should be aiming to create, I wouldn't have even started! I like a challenge but I think I've got to accept my limits and stick with playing around! Dave......... The 'discrepancies' would probably have crept in when I created the .pngs for the faces in Photoshop. Obviously I wasn't as careful as I should have been. I used a 2 pixel pencil line which would probably have accounted for them. I still don't understand how the extra control with the transparent .png works (and I can probably still live without that knowledge!) and never in a million years would I have worked it out! Peter, I like being a kindred spirit!! I don't know about a finishing line, though. I shall follow your instructions and try to find the geometric centre of my pyramid although I still find difficulty in visualising 'why' it works. Ah well, it kept me busy all day. Regards, Sheila G

Hi, No sooner had I posted than the Dropbox url resolved! Here is the link to the project I referred to above..... Pyramid Giza Challenge link Regards, Sheila G

Hi Peter, Constructing the triangle in Photoshop........... All lines drawn on separate, transparent layers. The angles can be constructed by drawing a perfectly horizontal line (holding down shift), of a longer than necessary length, then rotating it through the required angle using edit/transform/rotate. In the top bar you'll find that you can set the desired angle. Once you've done this you can move it into position and chop off any length you don't need. make sure that you're zoomed in to a high magnification and set the preferences for pixels for greater accuracy. When the triangle is completed, zoom in really closely and select the sides. On a new, empty layer, fill the selection with a colour. Hide the background layer and then Image/trim/transparent pixels for a clean .png. Keep the selection active and on 3 more layers make your other sides. Hope this helps. I don't use Elements so don't know what that offers. All......... This is as far as I can get! For some reason the Dropbox url won't resolve but, as soon as I can get into it, I'll upload a zipped project file which is constructed from triangular faces that slope towards the apex at an angle of 530 (couldn't get any closer than that!) the angles of the triangle faces, themselves, are: base angles 590 and third angle 620 (as close as I can get. Perhaps they should all have been 600? Anyway, it seems to fit together pretty cleanly. Thanks for the link to the maths pages, Dave. However, the only thing I understood were the diagrams! the issue of the geometric centre is completely beyond me! I've moved the rotation point of the master frame .............. does that help? No doubt someone will solve the problem in a matter of minutes! Regards to all, Sheila G

Hi Jean - Cyprien, Thanks for posting. Re the pyramid challenge ........ I've posted on that thread and, if you have a look on there, you'll see just where I'm struggling!! My very basic knowledge of maths isn't helping! The fact that I'm not too sure of the technical terms isn't a big help, either! Dave tells me that I made one fundamental error which has sent me back to the drawing board to start from scratch! Regards, Sheila G

Hi Paul, I'm still on the steep learning curve myself and making plenty of mistakes as I go along! I got a lot of help, on this forum, when I first started the animations a few weeks ago. I've found that once I'd got a 'feel' for what could be done, and the importance of frames, 'parent', and 'child' in the objects box, then just playing around with the controls gave me a better understanding of how to make the effects. I'm still working on 'trial and a lot of error' !! This works for me ......... someone else could very well have an easier, less involved way! Depending on how you have 'framed' your sides, may affect how you proceed. Opening the cube will depend on where your rotation point, for the sides, is placed. If you want to open the sides as if on a hinge, then the rotation point needs to be in the centre of that side-edge. If you just want to make them drift away, the rotation point is immaterial. To make them travel away, create a keyframe point for each side, in turn. and move the side to its new position at that keyframe point, twisting, zooming or turning as you wish. You can do it quickly or slowly by positioning your keyframe accordingly. If you want the sides to open as a hinge then again, selecting each side in turn, create a new keyframe point and rotate the side on either X or Y axis (whichever is appropriate) until it's in the position you want. Remember ...... if you want to hold your animation in place for a few seconds, before the sides move away, then you must place a duplicate key frame, of the first one, on the timeline at the point where you want the animation to start. For you title to appear you will need to bear in mind the importance of 'stacking' your objects (the ones on top are like layers in Photoshop - they come to the front) so you might need to play around with some transparency. Alternatively, you could introduce the title into a second, duplicate slide showing the last view of your 'exploded box. The transition would be seamless. Hope this helps a little. Regards, Sheila G

Hi, ***** !!! I've just had a lesson, from my husband, in working out the correct shape of each face! I should have asked him before I started! Back to the drawing board! Thanks for putting me right, Sheila G

Hi All, Need advice! Am I on the right lines? I've put my control frame for the pyramid inside a master frame in which I've made the centre of rotation about 3 quarters of the way down from the top. This had the effect of making the pyramid have its base just below the bottom of the screen. I then 'lifted' the whole lot to place the pyramid in the centre of the screen. When rotating through 3600, in all directions, it doesn't seem to shift from the centre, nor does the perspective appear to change. Unfortunately, it's all done by trial and error and I haven't got any maths to back it up or see how far out I am! It's a bit (a lot!) untidy at the moment but I shall keep trying. Sheila G

Hi Dave, I won't say 'Thanks!' for the challenge! I'm struggling! My basic maths was up to creating the isosceles triangles for the faces, with base angles of (530) on a base line of 800 pix. I did that in Photoshop. I could construct the pyramid in PtoE to turn in all directions but what I'm finding difficult (impossible!) is working out how to 'nest' the frames for faces and base in order to find the virtual centre of the pyramid and place the rotation points at the right place. Now someone will probably tell me this is not even be the right way of approaching it! I can see how I'm going to be spending the rest of the day!! Sheila G

Hi, Thanks for the kind words. Just when I thought I could walk away from the computer I saw Dave's challenge in another thread (the Great Pyramid Challenge) and had to try it! I'm really struggling! My basic maths was up to creating the isosceles triangles for the sides, with base angles of (530) on a base line of 800 pix. I did that in Photoshop. I could construct the pyramid in PtoE to turn in all directions but what I'm finding difficult (impossible!) is working out how to 'nest' the frames for faces and base in order to put the rotating point. for all directions, in the virtual centre of the pyramid. I've just realised, this might not even be the right way of approaching it! I can see how I'm going to be spending the rest of the day!! Sheila G

Hi Everyone, These 3D animations are becoming compulsive! This sequence is called Showtime! using photographs taken at events in Liverpool. I made it just so that I could use as many cube and pyramid animations as I could get into the time! Quite manic! No narrative but against a very catchy background music track by Kevin MacLeod. File size 30.84MB Run time 5 minutes exactly Aspect ratio 16:10 Download SHOWTIME!

Hi Dave, Regarding making AVs available ............. I don't know whether or not this is of use. I use 'Dropbox'. I've only recently found it and used it several times (for my own website, as well) and so far, touch wood, have not found any problems. It was a choice, for me, between that and Mediafire, but I didn't like the aggressive home page of that website. Dropbox hosts freely - up to a given amount (2GB I think). I haven't found a limit on the number of downloads. More than enough for any AVs I shall be making and want to be seen! I also think I saw that there is a file size limit but, again, I think it was high, something like 200MB. It also offers more options on payment of a subscription. You register and are given access to your own 'area', where there are folders for different activities, for eg., to share the contents with family (each uploading or downloading to the folder. For us, it offers the option of a 'Public' folder into which you can upload an AV (or anything else). Each file in the folder has a unique url which can then be made available publicly. These are the urls that are attached to the AVs. The url links to only one AV, not the box. What I like about Dropbox is that you can, at any time, see what you have in your public box (by password) and delete or change as you wish. link to Dropbox > https://www.dropbox.com/ I hope this helps ............. Sheila G

Hi Everyone and, in particular, Dave who started this thread. I'd been too busy playing with cubes and pyramids to think about how to construct a cuboid or picture frame. Then I began reading these posts and became hooked, yet again! A big 'thank you' for providing all the shortcuts to getting started and for the discussions between all of you on the 'pros and cons' of how things might work differently/better. The 'women's work' will have to wait yet again! Regards, Sheila G